The Art of Painting Down from Earth and Up Toward Heaven

Matthew Sestak painting Saint Nicholas.

Brother Matthew Sestak, a world history and psychology teacher in Nebraska, has found a love for painting Catholic icons. He was first exposed to the art of painting in high school. His art teacher at the time left an impression on him through his faith and love for Jesus Christ. Matthew recalls him being a helpful and kind man who was filled with faith and inspiration.

Later, Matthew pursued teaching as a career and learned a lot about the art of painting along the way. It may have been his past art teacher’s impression on his life that indirectly influenced him to take this path. He now inspires students as his teacher once inspired him.

It was in 2018 that Matthew painted his first icon. However, it wasn’t until the fall of 2021 that he began working diligently toward producing paintings for friends and family. When asked what inspired his interest in painting Catholic icons, Matthew reflected on a trip to the Holy Land in 2018.

The Holy Land attracts religious visitors due to its biblical background. It is a mesmerizing experience to visit sites in today’s world known for biblical occurrences. The Holy Land is an area in Jerusalem, a city located in the Middle East between the Mediterranean and the eastern bank of the Jordan River. Traditionally, the River of Jordan contains Holy water due to the river symbolizing Jesus Christ’s baptism site. Upon visiting this location on a trip with friends, Matthew collected a small amount of the Holy water to take back home, something many visitors often do. When he returned home, he saw an opportunity to put it to good use. He now puts a few drops of Holy water in the paint he uses for religious icon paintings. Each brushstroke and every detail are a prayer that the recipient of his painting will see themselves as worthy. Matthew will continue this practice for as long as he has the collected Holy water in his possession.

Each painting takes him about two weeks to finish, working about three to six hours a day. Matthew begins by painting the icon's body and working his way up to the subject's face. He prefers to finalize the artwork with the face and background. Matthew compares this act to “painting down from Earth and up toward Heaven.” This is a technique that he has developed due to his own preferences. However, the best practices of painting that we typically learn when studying brush stroke technique might point you in a different direction. Typically, it is best to paint the background before the main focus as it prevents smears in the paint from occurring. All artists develop their own unique techniques. Matthew is a great example of an artist who has found significance in his own process.

Matthew chose to paint an image of St. Thomas Aquinas, pictured below, as a gift to the Fraternity. The reasoning behind this thoughtful gift has to do with the Fraternity’s motto, “Give, Expecting Nothing Thereof…” a phrase coined by this Catholic icon. The painting will be gifted to Kevin Lampe (Western Illinois University, ’83), who will be presented with the Edward R. Solvibile Distinguished Service Award at this year’s Biennial Convention for exemplifying the motto throughout his service to the Fraternity.

As an artist, it is easy for Matthew to see his mistakes or how things could have been better. He takes this opportunity to remind the reader of this article that if you give all the credit to Christ, you will be surprised at how far you will go. Take a leap of faith and diligently work toward doing the things you love, even if you could be better at it.

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A New Year Reflection from our National Chaplain Rev. Msgr. Glenn L. Nelson

Happy New Year 2021! I am sure these words are welcomed by most of you and if you are like me, 2021 can’t come soon enough! 2020 was a very trying year for most people not only in our nation but in our world. 

During our current pandemic, we have been reminded that throughout history, illnesses have always threatened mankind, but this threat has taken on a new danger of being more catastrophic by living within a very large global community. Luckily modern medicine and science have improved since medieval times, but we are always reminded that no matter how smart humankind becomes, we always face the inevitable END which “haunts” many an earthly mind: death. The pandemic of Covid-19 has been that “enemy lurking in the darkness” and many of us have either faced it ourselves or known someone close to us who has. For most of us, endings can be very scary or painful things and they often take many forms: loss of a job, death of a loved one, or a relationship break-up. 

However, as people of faith, we are reminded that endings are never really just that entirely, but serve as new beginnings. One of my favorite prayers during the Catholic Funeral Liturgy is the preface which states: “Lord, for your faithful people life is changed, not ended.  When the body of our earthly dwelling lies in death, we gain an everlasting dwelling place in heaven.” As Chaplain for Phi Kappa Theta, I wanted to share this message with you so that no matter what you have faced this past year of 2020, you may not lose hope.  

Last week we celebrated Christmas, and even though our secular society wants us to shift our focus to the next commercial celebration, the Catholic Church is still celebrating the Christmas season with great joy and reminds us to keep our eyes fixed on the Christ child, Our Savior, who came as the fulfillment of God’s promise given to us over centuries through the ancient prophets.  

Christmas is a reminder that despite all human failings which began with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden when they ate of the fruit of the tree and rejected the wishes of God, that God never rejected us.  Christmas reminds us that God promised to save us from our sinful selves and ultimately from the consequence of sin, which is death, so that we may live eternally with Him in Heaven as He always intended.  God, in taking human flesh, humbled himself to share in our humanity so that it may be redeemed in Him!  That means we no longer have to live in fear and that God will always be with us, no matter what we face during our time on earth. 

As many of you probably noticed recently, our secular news outlets were filled with stories of the “Christmas Star” (alignment of the planets Saturn and Jupiter) which appeared on December 21, 2020. I was one of the unlucky people whose skies were clouded during the anticipated great conjunction and I was disappointed of not being able to participate in the hype of the “historical event.” However, the disappointment of not being able to see with my own eyes the astronomical phenomenon that comes once every 397 years was soon transformed into the excitement of being a witness with eyes of faith to one of God’s special gifts. This 2020 “Christmas Star” message revealed not only the celebration of the birth of Our Savior 2000 years ago in a manger in Bethlehem, but served as a divine call from above to lift our eyes up to the heavens to find the hope and relief we seek in the God who never abandons us.  What I find remarkable about the Christmas Star this year is not just the fact that it appeared, but the timing of its arrival.  

Today, in our current American culture, our eyes are often times looking at a computer or phone screen trying to keep up with the daily news and tasks that consume our everyday life.  This year, in particular, our heads have been bowed low from the burden of a year-long pandemic, political and ideological division, and the consequential heavy responsibilities which resulted and these have made us tired.  And yet, in the cycle of God’s astronomical providence, a convergence of planets which was set in motion when the universe was created, happened to come together on December 21, 2020… a coincidence some people may say, but I believe and know that our savior, Jesus Christ was born as promised and is still present among us today to raise us higher than we can raise ourselves! 

A Blessed Christmas and a Joyous New Year to you, my dear brothers of Phi Kappa Theta, and to your loved ones.  Remember that as we begin this New Year, no matter what 2021 brings, keep your eyes always fixed on the heavens whence comes our saving help!    

Rev. Msgr. Glenn L. Nelson (Northern Illinois University, ‘09)

+ Bio

The Reverend Monsignor Glenn L. Nelson, graduated from Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, IL with a Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education for the Hearing Impaired in 1987.

After teaching and interpreting for the Deaf in a public school for two years, he quit his job and entered St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, IL for studies to become a Catholic priest where he earned a Bachelor in Sacred Theology and a Masters of Divinity degree in 1993. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Rockford in Illinois and after serving in various priestly capacities, Msgr. Nelson then completed his Post-Graduate studies in 2000 at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he earned a Licentiate Degree in Canon Law.

Msgr. Nelson became a member of Phi Kappa Theta while serving as Pastor at Christ the Teacher Parish/Newman Catholic Student Center in DeKalb, IL. Msgr. Nelson currently serves as Vicar General/Moderator of the Curia for the Diocese of Rockford as well as Director for the Deaf Apostolate. Msgr. Nelson also serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the National Catholic Office for the Deaf and is honored to serve as National Chaplain for the Phi Kappa Theta Fraternity.

Faith Journey Continues for Collin Clark (University of Wisconsin-Madison, '21)

By Sam Lucero | The Compass
June 17, 2020

High school mission trip opened path for deeper faith, desire to share it

GREEN BAY — A mission trip to Mississippi during his senior year of high school was a turning point for Collin Clark. At that moment he began to make the Catholic faith a central part of his life.

“My family would go to Sunday Mass every week and we would pray our meal prayers,” he said. “But my faith wasn’t a very personal thing. It was a part of my life, but I didn’t prioritize it — other than a list of things to check off throughout the week.”

A 2017 graduate of Notre Dame Academy, Clark participated in a spring break service trip to Canton, Miss., during his senior year. “On the trip, we worked through an organization that served people in low-income areas,” he said. “It kind of opened my eyes to what conditions people are living in and the fact they could still be very joyful.”
He also attended daily Mass.

“To live that trip with the center of faith was pretty cool,” he said. “So I started going to daily Mass (at Notre Dame Academy) and kind of understood that maybe this should be more of a priority in my life.”

Clark, 20, who will begin his senior year this fall at UW-Madison, where he is studying mechanical engineering, also credits his older sister, Emma, for helping him grow in faith.

Emma, who is four years older, also attended UW-Madison. “During her time at Madison, her sophomore year, she started to get involved in St. Paul’s University Catholic Center,” he said. “She really started to live out the Catholic faith a little more intentionally than I was used to growing up. When she would be home for breaks, her lifestyle was noticeably different. She was spending more time in prayer and she was more centered on her faith in general.”

By the time he returned from his mission trip to Mississippi, Clark had already made plans to follow in his sister’s footsteps to Madison. It was at the university where his commitment to God and his faith took hold.

“When I got to college, I didn’t know what my faith life would be like. I did not have expectations or goals,” he said. “I also didn’t know if I would tend towards the party scene. I had a vague understanding that I would be going to Sunday Mass every week.”
Emma, then a senior at UW-Madison, helped make his decision easier.

“My sister, the first week I moved in, she took me to my first Sunday Mass on campus,” he said. “Afterward she introduced me to some of her friends, to some guys who were in Phi Kappa Theta, which is the Catholic fraternity on campus.”

Clark said he found that fellow students at St. Paul’s and Phi Kappa Theta were fun to be around, but also caring.

“I had been getting close to guys who were in my dorm,” he said. “At the same time I was getting close to some people from St. Paul’s. I was really enjoying both communities. One thing I noticed was I could have fun and be joyful in both communities.

“What I noticed about the community of St. Paul’s is that they had the same amount of joy, but if they ask you ‘How are you doing?’ it wasn’t just some random conversation starter. They really meant it. They really wanted to invest in your life. I think that’s what initially drew me close to the community.”

He said it was the same experience with Phi Kappa Theta.

“At first I was not interested in joining a fraternity, but I decided to go and have fun. It was basically the same as St. Paul’s: the people cared and wanted to form lasting friendships.”

Clark was initiated into the Catholic fraternity in his freshman year. Each year his involvement increased, with leadership roles. Last spring he was elected president of Phi Kappa Theta.

“My time at UW has no doubt changed and will continue to change my life for the better,” he said.

Last month, Clark was asked to participate in “Alive Again,” a virtual youth ministry event for high school students sponsored by the Diocese of Green Bay. Clark shared his personal witness story with high school students.

Kate Ruth, former youth minister at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, who now serves in the same role at Sacred Heart Parish in Shawano, invited Clark to participate in the event. “It is so important for high school students to see young adults, especially college-aged young adults, who are living out their Catholic faith,” said Ruth.

Clark said sharing his faith with others is the next part of his journey.

“I see the act of sharing my faith as an ongoing part of my life,” he said. “So many people are waiting for someone to personally walk with them in their journey towards God, and I hope to be there when people need me.”

He said his advice to young people who feel lost, confused or alone in their faith is to make time for God.

“Whether it’s 20 minutes or two, the best thing you can do is show up,” said Clark. “God wants you to share your life with him, your successes and your struggles. Bring your questions, doubts, confusion and discomfort to prayer. We can’t expect to have a deep friendship with Jesus if we don’t share our lives with him.”

Read the original story on The Compass.

Holy Hour at Hofstra University

Nick Castelli (center) with Hofstra Brothers Justin Usis (left) and Thomas O'Connor (right).

Bringing Spiritual Development to Campus

by Nick Castelli
Hofstra University, ‘21

“Phi Kappa Theta actively develops men to be effective leaders who passionately serve society, fraternity, and God.” The spiritual pillar has continued to be the corner stone of the Fraternity that gives men the ability to become those passionate leaders.

Without spiritual development, gentlemen of Phi Kappa Theta cannot become men who serve effectively in leadership.

Spiritual development opens the mind in a way that other areas of development cannot. While many college communities lie asleep in indifference, the New York Alpha Omega Chapter at Hofstra University embraces the opportunity to ponder questions and be active in their spiritual development.

St. Thomas Aquinas said, “The study of truth requires a considerable effort - which is why few are willing to undertake it out of love of knowledge - despite the fact that God has implanted a natural appetite for such knowledge in the minds of men.”

The brothers of Phi Kappa Theta at Hofstra University have taken full advantage of fulfilling that natural appetite with the new spiritual development program, Beyond Belief.

Guest Speaker Father Christopher Sullivan.

Before the release of the new program, the chapter was still regularly active in their spiritual development. Former Vice President of Spiritual Development, Thomas O’Connor, regularly organized Spirit Talks. These talks were open discussions that allowed brothers to examine questions while reflecting on their relationship with the world around them.

On December 10, 2018, the chapter hosted a campus wide Holy Hour during the Advent Season, in collaboration with the Hofstra Newman Club.

The event was planned by Thomas O’Connor and Nicolas Castelli, the current Vice President of Spiritual Development. Roughly 60 college students came to pray before the Blessed Sacrament with live music provided by a joint Phi Kappa Theta-Newman Club worship band.

Currently, the chapter is continuing the Spirit Talks with the guidance of the new program. The talks have been divided into two series: Theology Talks and Spiritual Examination Talks.

So far, the chapter has held one of each. The first Theology Talk was about the philosophy of God and universal causes. With help from the school chaplain, Father Joseph Scolaro, the chapter examined excerpts from St. Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica.

The brothers discussed who God is and how we can rationally come to believe in God’s existence. Using the philosophy presented in the masterpiece, brothers were able to gain an insight on God that many had not explored before.

The first Spiritual Examination Talk examined the nature of love and discussed how we can define love. This discussion also opened new doors of understanding for the brothers involved. Brothers were able to discuss their experiences with all forms of love freely, while understanding the different thoughts, experiences, and perspectives brothers had on the topic.

Future topics for theology and spiritual discussions include: the importance of scripture and tradition, morality and virtue, meaning, post-death theology and an examination of the Catholic tradition of Phi Kappa Theta.

Currently, spring and fall retreats are being planned by the chapter’s spiritual committee. The New York Alpha Omega chapter at Hofstra University has always been, and continues to, embrace the value of spiritual development.